Digital Stewardship: The Tree of a New Ethics

The Seed — the Ethical Identity of a Programmer in the Age of AI

[ Audio version of the article ]

An open address to spiritual leaders, guardians of traditions, and mentors of communities
From: Valeri Rakitine, Founder / Incorporator, NPO Eco-Programming Alliance (Canada)

Dear spiritual leaders,

I write to you as an engineer who has spent a lifetime building invisible structures. Today humanity is cultivating a new field — the digital space. In this field grow systems that shape our communication, memory, finances, and critically important decisions.

But I see that more and more often, unhealthy plants are sprouting in this field: they grow quickly, look powerful — and yet they exhaust the soil. I am writing to describe the Tree of a New Ethics that we must grow together — from the Seed to the Fruits.

I. The Seed: the engineer’s conscience

Every tree begins with a seed. In the digital world, that seed is not technology, but the engineer’s conscience.

I call this seed Digital Stewardship. Its meaning is simple: a programmer is not a “producer of code,” but a Steward — someone who must take responsibility for the long-term life of what they create.

II. The Soil: the wisdom of traditions

A seed does not sprout in a vacuum. It needs soil. For a new ethics of programming, that soil is the wisdom of spiritual traditions. Technology answers the question “How?” — but only spiritual wisdom answers “Why?”

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I ask you to help “enrich” this seed with the concepts of your tradition. Here are just a few examples (not an exhaustive list):

• Islam: Amanah (entrusted responsibility), and the prohibition of Israf (wastefulness).
• Judaism: Bal Tashchit (“do not destroy needlessly”), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
• Christianity: Stewardship (care for the entrusted household), and love of neighbor — refusing to shift the cost of one’s errors onto others.
• Buddhism / Hinduism: Ahimsa and interdependence; Dharma — careful use of resources as a moral duty.

Without this soil, technological calls dry up.

III. The Roots: primary sources

For a tree to stand strong, it needs roots — a clear intellectual foundation. Here are five primary sources where this idea was formed step by step:

1. Introduction to eco-programming paradigm (2021)
2. Digital Polluters: How Programmers Harm the Environment and Why the UN Doesn’t Notice
3. The Ethical Identity of Programmers: Navigating Eco-Programming in a Tech-Driven World
4. Bagels and Muffins of Programming
5. Algorithms ≠ Code: Grasping the Essence by Sorting Books
6. From Methodologies to Technologies: A Manifesto of Clarity

IV. The Trunk: the problem of “bagels”

What do we see today? We see large trees I call Software Bagels: a strong crust (a façade), but an empty or rotten core.

1) Loss of meaning (loss of intent)

Meaning is not preserved separately from code. The algorithm dissolves into implementation details. As a result, the system “works,” but it cannot be honestly evolved — every change becomes a gamble.

2) Invisible fires and a black hole

A software bagel is empty inside: the meaning (the algorithm) is not preserved, and only the shell of code remains. And this emptiness behaves like a black hole: it quietly absorbs people’s time, organizational budgets, computing capacity, and data-center energy. On the outside — releases and reports. On the inside — endless “keep it running at any cost.” This is how invisible fires burn in the digital world: we spend resources to service emptiness.

3) AI as an amplifier

AI is neutral: it amplifies what we “sow.” If meaning and responsibility are not brought back to the center, AI will accelerate the growth of “weeds” — faster than ever.

V. The Fruits: what we want to grow

If we plant the right Seed in your Soil, we can harvest different Fruits: a generation of programmer-stewards and “muffin/flatbread” systems, where:

• meaning (the algorithm) is primary and preserved,
• resources are used carefully,
• responsibility for the future is built into the profession.

We are also developing practical measurement tools (including the MSI index) so organizations can see the “health of the tree” and prevent hidden structural fragility that later becomes breakdown and waste.

My request to you (Call to Action)

I am not asking for money, and I am not asking for political statements. I am asking you to help plant and cultivate the Seed of a new professional conscience.

1. Water the Seed: a short conversation (30–40 minutes) to translate these principles into the language of your tradition — clearly, without moralizing.
2. Protect the shoots: help formulate a short Developer’s Oath for young people entering the profession.
3. Bring light: 1–2 contacts (mentors, ethics educators, youth leaders) who are ready to cultivate this field with us.

A tree grows slowly — but it must be planted today.

With respect and hope,
Valeri Rakitine
Founder / Incorporator, NPO Eco-Programming Alliance (Canada)

[ Audio version of the article ]